RanmaX
by Jaxom
Summary: RanmaXMen CrossoverDuring his final battle with Saffron, Ranma Saotome felt a new power within himself awaken. Killing Saffron was pathetically simple, but then his real problems began. Ranma had revealed himself as a mutant, and nothing would ever
1. Chapter 1

  
  
Ranma-X (A Ranma/X-Men fusion alternaverse)  
  
Represents thoughts: I'm thinking  
  
The smell of refuse in the alley was almost strong enough to touch, a sickly sweet cloying smell caused by the rotting fish in the dumpster from the neighboring sushi restaurant. Despite possessing an extremely strong sense of smell, it didn't really bother Sakura much. She was far too terrified to worry about the smell, what did it matter if you died in a rose garden or a trash heap, dead was dead, and there could be no other release from her current situation. Alone, unarmed, and outnumbered five to one.  
  
She had recognized them from school as they approached her from the street, she backed away from them, further into the alley. They always hung out around the back of the school, and they had made a point of harassing her in the past. Not that anyone else was much better, nobody treated her like a normal person, but they were the worst. They hated mutants, and with her light purple skin, pink hair, and pupil-less green eyes, she couldn't be mistaken for anything else.  
  
The mutant haters followed Sakura into the alley, trapping her completely as it reached a dead end.  
  
Seizing her quickly, one of them pinned her arms behind her back, and held her there. He reeked of alcohol, she could smell alcohol on all of them as they surrounded her, even with the stench of garbage. The leader of the little gang, a stereotypically large man named Kana leered at her as his friend held her in his painful grip.  
  
"Well if it isn't Sakura-chan, how's it going sweetheart?" Kana said, reaching out a hand to touch her hair. "You're pretty cute for a freak, it's too bad really. We can't let you muties run around free though."  
  
"Please Kana-sempai, I haven't done anything," Sakura begged, "please let me go."  
  
"You're going to have to give me a real good reason to do that," Kana said attempting a seductive smile. "You can do that for me, right Sakura-chan?" Taking her silence as assent, Kana leaned in to kiss the captive mutant, his friends laughing as he did so. Sakura shook at his approach, but did not resist, willing to do whatever it took to get away alive.  
  
Before Kana could complete his act of violation, a feminine voice called from the end of the alley. "Excuse me? Can one of you direct me to Furinkin High School? I seem to have lost my way."  
  
The men turned to see another mutant woman, her blue skin, and shoulder length red hair standing out like beacons in the minds of the men. Just as powerfully noticed were her long legs, and skin tight white dress.  
  
"Looks like we've got another one," Kana said, pulling away from Sakura to approach the new arrival. "You want to join in the fun, honey?"  
  
Another form stepped from the shadows as Kana neared the new arrival. A young man with a pigtail, his eyes glowing with a feral gold light as he glared at the thugs. Without speaking, he flexed his hands, extending claws from the tips of his fingers.  
  
The red headed mutant smiled defiantly at Kana and his gang. "I'd start running if I were you."  
  
"So you brought along your mutie boyfriend eh?" An abundance of alcohol, was making the young mutant hunters feel overconfident. The women were obviously no threat, and it would take more than some freak to stop five men who were used to a good fight.  
  
"We'll take care of him, and then we'll get back to playing with you."  
  
"Don't say I didn't warn you." she said slyly.  
  
Kana lunged to grab the redhead, only to find himself doubling over in pain. The third mutant's foot still pressed into his stomach. His second movement. a strike to Kana's right temple, rendered the gang leader unconscious.  
  
Eyes glowing with rage, claws extended, the male mutant attacked. Not attempting to kill, or even wound, he attacks with a ferocity and speed that the humans cannot fathom, claws shredding their clothes, punches and kicks striking at painful pressure points. Faced with such an overwhelming offense, the gang members fled. Leaving the three mutants alone in the alley, with the unconscious gang member that had made the mistake of attempting to force himself on the two women.  
  
The new mutants approached Sakura as she lay weeping on the floor. The redheaded form shifted, her hair shortening, turning brown, and her skin gaining a more human cast. She was no longer a mysteriously beautiful mutant, she looked like an ordinary school girl. Her boyfriend's appearance also changed slightly, his frightening eyes lost their inner glow, and became a deep brown. The claws he had used so effectively to tear at the clothing of her assailants were also gone.  
  
"Please relax," the woman said, "we won't hurt you. You are safe now."  
  
"My name is Ranma," the other continued, "and this is Nabiki, we're the X-Men."  
  
Ranma-X (A Ranma/X-Men fusion alternaverse)  
  
Waiver: I do not own the X-Men characters, or those from the Ranma 1/2 series. I'm just a big fan. Don't sue me, that would be pointless, and it would cost you a big fan ;)  
  
The Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters in Jusenkyo China was a recently constructed facility, based on the general layout and dimensions of it's sister school in New York, with a few concessions made to the culture of those expected to live there. Unlike the American branch of the school, Jusenkyo's mansion was almost entirely empty. No students were in classes, none practiced in the Danger Room.  
  
Instead, the team had gathered on a picnic blanket in the shade of a tree, well back from the cursed springs that had made the property so cost effective to develop. Ranma laid back on an elbow, and listened attentively to what Dr. Tofu had to say.  
  
"You did well in Japan, Ranma." Dr.Tofu said. "You as well Nabiki. It's good to see that you are both living up to your training."  
  
"It wasn't a very good test, Sensei." Ranma replied. "They only fight we got into was a pack of regular humans harassing a mutant girl."  
  
"Ranma is right," Nabiki put in, "I don't even think it was necessary for me to distract them. Ranma could have just pounded on them right away."  
  
Ranma smiled proudly, and flexed his hand, extending the claws at the tip of each finger. "I don't know, I kinda liked seeing you shift into Mystique like that. She's kinda cute."  
  
Dr.Tofu interrupted the pair before Nabiki could retort with some comment about shifting into cute women, heading off the impromptu sparring match that would invariably follow. "Things went very well Nabiki, and even if Ranma didn't need your assistance this time, he will some day, so it was a good practice mission." He paused for a moment before continuing, allowing his pupils to enjoy their success. "That being said, you did make a mistake, Ranma."  
  
"What are you talking about? I sent four of those anti-mutant jerks running, and one of them is going to wake up with a nasty headache."  
  
"That's not what I'm talking about, Ranma. You identified yourselves to that young mutant. You gave her your names, and you told her you were X-Men."  
  
"Listen Doc, I know the gang in New York go in for all that code name garbage, but we're not Wolverine and Rogue here."  
  
"That's right Ranma, you're not. You are not nearly as experienced as them, and Mutants are tolerated even less here. Did you even hesitate before you gave away your own identity, as well as Nabiki's?"  
  
"It was necessary, Sensei." Nabiki said. "That girl was terrified of Ranma, I doubt calling himself Wyldman would have set her at ease."  
  
"What if that girl tells somebody about the mutants that leaped to her defense? The Japanese government does not approve of vigilante justice, if they hear about an organized group of mutants fighting with human street gangs, they will not be gentle when they try to take you both in." Dr.Tofu sighed expressively, and muttered beneath his breath. Sometimes it was difficult to understand why he had chosen to return to Asia to administer the new school, life was so much easier when he could leave situations like this to Professor Xavier. Their first mission, and they broke our first rule. Maybe I should have chosen someone else.  
  
"I am sorry, Sensei." Ranma said, surprising both his companions. "It will not happen again."  
  
"Thank you, Ranma." Dr.Tofu relaxed slightly, satisfied that even if Ranma was reckless with his own life, he was sufficiently sobered by the idea of endangering Nabiki. "There is a new mutant about to come into his power in Japan. His name is Tenchi Masaki, I want you to convince him to come here to meet me. I should be able to determine the extent of his abilities, and you may finally have another ally."  
  
Nabiki set down their helicopter a few kilometers away from the Masaki residence, she and Ranma would be approaching on foot so that they would not draw undue attention to themselves. This time they had promised the Doctor that they would follow the rules, partly because the rules were much more lax when trying to convince a new mutant to join with their cause.  
  
"So are you really going to start calling me Shifter all the time, Ranma?"  
  
"Only when we are on a mission, Dr.Tofu is right, it's just the three of us for now, we don't need to advertise ourselves. If somebody does decide to come after us, it'll be harder for them to track down Wildcat and Shifter, than Ranma and Nabiki." As Dr.Tofu's first student, Ranma was the second in command of Asia's X-Man, a position of little distinction when it meant that only one person followed your orders. Especially when that one person was Nabiki, and she wasn't big on following orders at all.  
  
"I think we should go all out on this one Wyld-kun," Nabiki said, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Uniforms, code names, and all."  
  
Ranma grinned at the idea, and pressed a small X shaped button at the top of his watch. Upon joining the X-men, Ranma and Nabiki had each been given watches. Created by Beast in New York, they were inconspicuous, but useful devices. They looked like regular digital watches, except that each had a pair of extra buttons. Pushing one would allow the pair to communicate directly over almost any distance.  
  
Pushing the other would activate the uniform sequence, overlaying Ranma's form with a black bodysuit from neck to toe, gold bracers on each wrist, and a red vest with the X-Men symbol on the right breast.  
  
To accommodate his powers, he wore leather gloves with molded gold plate covering the back of his hands, and the fingers tips were not covered. All in all his uniform wasn't much different than the red Chinese shirt, and pants he normally wore, but the effect was somehow more imposing. In uniform he looked fast, powerful, and every bit the Wyldman he had been named.  
  
Nabiki's own uniform was equally impressive, and similar to Ranma's. She was able to change into her uniform through her own powers, rather than through her watch, so she could wear whatever she wished, and change her uniform on a whim. The idea of having uniforms that looked nothing alike was stupid as far as she was concerned though, so she had designed her own costume to resemble Ranma's to a certain extent.  
  
When Nabiki shifted into her uniform, she wore a black bodysuit as well, a belt with the X-Men symbol in gold, a short white leather jacket with the team symbol on her right breast in place of Ranma's vest, and pair of knee high white leather boots.  
  
"How can you wear that, Nabiki?" Ranma asked, looking her over. "Every guy on the planet is going to stare at you."  
  
"I've got news for you," Nabiki said, "you're not exactly going to go unnoticed among women. Besides, that's part of the idea."  
  
Tenchi Masaki was long accustomed to the picturesque view from the Masaki shrine, but sitting on the porch steps looking out over the surrounding forest was still quite calming. Lately he had been troubled by frightening visions while meditating, quick flashes of battle against mysterious and powerful creatures. A beautiful gray haired young woman was the most dominant, sometimes she chased him through the halls of his school, sometimes she stood between him and some force he was certain lusted for his destruction.  
  
The dreams had begun a few weeks earlier, but they had lost none of their potency. Something was coming, and he had to be ready.  
  
"Who am I kidding, I'm going to die of boredom before anything happens around here." Tenchi muttered to himself.  
  
"I wouldn't go betting on that, Masaki-san." said a feminine voice from behind him, causing Tenchi to jump in shock before turning around to see who had managed to sneak up on him.  
  
The vision he saw upon turning made the temple's view pale in comparison. One of the most amazing women he had ever seen was leaning against the wall of the Temple. While her strange black and white clothes didn't really reveal anything, they still made Tenchi's mouth dry, and his throat lock up. This woman distracted him so much that he didn't even notice her companion, until he spoke.  
  
"You might want to change into something less showy, Shifter. I think he's about to swallow his tongue."  
  
With a furious blush, and a shake of his head, Tenchi gained control of himself. Focusing on the man in the red vest seemed to help with keeping his mind on the task at hand, so he decided to do that. "Excuse me, was there something I could help you with?"  
  
"That depends, do you know where we can find Tenchi Masaki?" Ranma ask, rhetorically.  
  
The confused youth hesitated for a moment before replying, "I am Tenchi Masaki."  
  
Nabiki stepped forward to shake his hand, "Nice to meet you, I am Shifter, and this is Wyldman."  
  
Her casual behavior served to ease the tension Tenchi felt after seeing her for the first time, as long as he focused on her face or Wyldman's, so he relaxed a little. "Why were you looking for me? I'm pretty sure I don't know anyone with names like that."  
  
"Actually Tenchi-san, we're here about a scholarship of sorts." Nabiki said, guessing that it would be best to lie at first, rather than start out by telling him that he was a mutant.  
  
"I don't think I applied for any, is it some kind of gymnastics school?" Tenchi asked, still trying to fathom the outfits his guests had arrived in.  
  
"A little of that, but mostly it's for gifted students. Wyldman and I are students there, the Headmaster asked us to come see you."  
  
Ranma smiled inwardly at the idea of Xavier's school as a place for gifted gymnasts. "Let's just say these are our school uniforms for now." He lightly tapped the X crest on his vest before continuing. "We are from the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, a very elite private school." The Xavier school in New York was fairly well known throughout North America, but the Jusenkyo school hadn't had a chance yet to build up a reputation, so it was pretty safe to assume that Tenchi wouldn't know what they were based on that.  
  
"Are your parents here, Tenchi-san?" Nabiki asked, glancing around the temple grounds and finding nobody. "We really should discuss this with them as well."  
  
"My father is at work, and my grandfather is visiting another temple temporarily." Tenchi said, mulling over the idea of an exclusive private school with uniforms like these. "Does your school have a Kendo team?"  
  
A thought struck Ranma suddenly, about how he could speed up this process a little, and smile crossed his face. "We've got a very extensive martial arts department actually, are you a martial artist?"  
  
Tenchi gave looked at Ranma seriously at that point, using the techniques his grandfather had taught him to judge another's fighting ability. This Wyldman had the same casual arrogance and confidence as Tenchi's grandfather, there was no doubt that he was a martial artist of some form himself. "Not really," Tenchi lied, "I've learned a little bit of Kendo, but nothing major."  
  
"Are you sure? " Ranma asked, "I could really use a good sparring match right now."  
  
Nabiki couldn't quite tell what Ranma had planned, but it was obvious he wanted to lure Tenchi into a fight, and she trusted his instincts enough to give him a hand. "Please Tenchi? When he gets restless he's a real pain to travel with, and I'm stuck with him until we get back to the school."  
  
Chivalry is not dead in the Masaki family, especially where young women are concerned, so Tenchi agreed.  
  
"You're going to have to do better than that, Tenchi-chan." Ranma baited, as he darted through his opponent's guard and delivered a short punch to the solar plexus. "Stop treating that sword as if it's your only weapon."  
  
Tenchi had fought a number of practice battles with his grandfather, and in the occasional Kendo tournament, but he'd never seen anyone move the way this man did. In the beginning Tenchi had held back, not wanting to hurt him, especially as he refused to accept a practice blade of his own. It had taken only seconds to realize that he wouldn't be able to fight like that if he wished to escape with his dignity. Whoever taught martial arts at that Xavier school must have put a great deal of extra time and effort into this student. There didn't seem to be any limit to his speed and flexibility. He flowed through Tenchi's defense without a second thought, striking the Kendoist repeatedly with glancing blows.  
  
"You've got an entire body, Tenchi. That stick is your only weapon."  
  
Tenchi didn't doubt for a moment that he was being toyed with, his opponent could have finished their match at any point. If he chose to there would be nothing Tenchi could do to stop him, that the battle had lasted for 10 minutes meant that he was being tested in some fashion.  
  
"Fine, you won't throw it away, then I will." Ranma said, striking out suddenly with renewed fury. A single roundhouse kick shattered Tenchi's bokken, leaving him unarmed. "Now use your whole body, Tenchi. You can't count on wooden crutches, you need to draw the power to fight from within yourself."  
  
The words washed over Tenchi, already reaching the peak of his anger at being humiliated so blatantly by the other man. With a vicious scream, he leaped at his adversary, sweeping his right arm forward to cut him in two with a single blow.  
  
Ranma saw the sudden flash of light that Tenchi had not yet noticed, and as a blue blade of energy formed in Tenchi's hand. Ranma dodged aside. His theory had been right, Tenchi's power manifested itself for it's first time when he lost his temper.  
  
"Hold Tenchi!" Nabiki called, and stepped into the ring they had specified as their battle area. "Look at the blade in your hand."  
  
Somehow Nabiki's words cut through Tenchi's temper, and he began pulling himself together. As his temper subsided, and he became more aware of his situation. His assailant was giving him a look of approval, from the far end of the ring. That only half registered on his mind though, as he stared numbly at the glowing blue energy blade in his hand.  
  
"Congratulations Tenchi," Ranma said, "you are gifted after all." 

Regarding Ranma-X: This fanfic was one of the first I ever wrote. It was never meant to be released on the Internet, but I came across it the other day and decided I might as well upload it. There are already 3 chapters to it, and I will be uploading the them soon, after I finish removing most of the errors I made when I wrote it ;)

Regarding The Guardian: I apologize for the delay. In the time since I wrote the first chapter I have had several computers die, and moved to Japan where I have no computer, and no Internet access. Chapter 2 of this series has been re-written several times due to lost data, but I am near completing it for the final time. I am not sure it is as good as the first chapter, but I will let you be the judge.

Thanks to my pre-readers, especially Renuka, Raf, and Jen. I still think you guys should be writing fics yourselves.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: This is actually not a newly written chapter. I was going through my old computer and came across about a half dozen partially written fanfics. The third chapter looks like it's about half finished as well, I'm undecided about finishing it or the series. The Guardian series is my first priority, and I'm still not certain if I'll be continuing that either. After having to re-write the next chapter 6 times due to various computer errors and personal issues I'm not sure I'm up to the task.

Ranma-X (A Ranma/X-Men fusion alternaverse)

Represents thoughts: I'm thinking

There was an eerie silence surrounding the Masaki Shrine as Tenchi swept the grounds. An expectant tension hung in the air, hinting of something not quite right. The birds, and semi-domesticated forest creatures that often came to the shrine in hopes of handouts were gone. The trees swayed as if at a high wind, but made no sound, and Tenchi felt no wind.

It was a familiar sensation, and he recognized it for the dream that it was. The same dream in fact that he'd had several times in recent weeks. She would come for him soon, it was just a matter of time.

Tenchi was never able to predict exactly how she would arrive. She could descend from above like a fallen angel. Leap unexpectedly from behind him, and embrace him passionately. On a number of occasions, she had simply appeared in his arms without warning, and kissed him. She could take the form of any one of a thousand different dreams of passion and romance.

Then there were the other dreams, the ones where she came at him in a killing rage. She would hunt Tenchi through a myriad of dream worlds. Throwing exploding spheres of energy at him again, or slashing at him with a glowing crimson blade of energy. She could be either, the passionate lover, or the vicious killer. Sometimes she was both.

As Tenchi looked to the sky expectantly, she came to him once more. On foot this time, she walked up the temple steps towards him, smiling mischievously. Her hair was exactly as he remembered it, sticking out wildly like some kind of gray-blue porcupine. Her clothing was similarly unique, a short jacket with one black sleeve, and one gold sleeve over a white dress. The dress, revealing enough in itself to be almost indecent, was slit up to the hip on both sides to reveal long legs clad in crimson spandex like a second skin.

She appeared the same in this dream as in all the others, a vision of reckless untamed beauty. Wild, bizarre, and enticing, she approached Tenchi. As each step drew her closer though, her expression changed. Her mouth crooked into a cruel smirk, and she raised her right hand, and gestured to Tenchi's own. For the first time he realized that the broom he held had been replaced with a bokken. The wooden practice sword tugged at some memory buried just beneath the surface of his awareness.

"Are you a martial artist?" She asked. Her voice was familiar, but too masculine for her wildly feminine appearance. "I could really use a good sparring match right now."

Tenchi stepped away from her, the words echoing painfully through his mind. She'd never spoken in his dreams before, but he knew instinctively that she wasn't speaking with her own voice. Someone else had said that to him, and while he couldn't quite place the moment in his memory, he knew it hadn't been an enjoyable encounter.

As she continued to approach, Tenchi readied himself for her attack. While he'd never had to face her with a bokken before, he'd fought a hundred battles against her blade of energy, so he felt he knew what to expect from her. She fought with passion, power, and speed, but without the precision and skill Tenchi's grandfather had taught him. She depended upon her powers to win the battle, battering through opposition rather than outwitting it. A flawed strategy for most swordsmen, but when backed by her power and ferocity, she still won. Tenchi only hoped that this time might be different. If she fought with her bare hands this time, as she apparently intended to, he might just have a chance.

"Will you throw the sword away this time, Tenchi?" She said mockingly, "Or am I going to have to take it away from you again."

If they were destined to fight in his dream, she always attacked him, he'd never attacked her first before. He'd considered it on any number of occasions, knowing that his skill was superior to hers, but knowing also that her power would prevail in the end. This time was different though, he wasn't certain what he felt for her, but he knew exactly how he felt about that voice.

With a scream of rage Tenchi struck out at her. His bokken lashing out for her head, only to have her casually tilt her head aside, dodging the wooden blade by a hair. As she counter attacked, Tenchi realized that her fighting style had changed drastically. Once she would have attacked all out, leapt back to fire her energy bolts at him, or perhaps teleported herself behind him for a sneak attack. She didn't fall back on her usual tricks his time though, instead she dodged each of his attacks with the same simple economy of motion. Striking out with sharp jabs to pressure points across his upper body. Her attacks designed to hurt, and anger him.

Overcome with frustration, Tenchi intensified his assault, striking out with greater speed and power. The woman's smile became patronizing, as she seemed to flow around each attack. Closing on Tenchi in a blur of motion, she took hold of his sword arm with one hand, and slammed the heel of the other into his solar plexus. Tenchi staggered from the pain, and dropped to his knees.

She laughed at him again as he clutched at his chest, and began to change. Her hair darkened, and bound itself into a pigtail at the base of her skull. The short jacket became a red vest with an X on the right breast. The dress and leggings shifted as well, becoming a jet-black bodysuit. Her body expanded, and reformed itself. Gone were the feminine curves that she had so often used to entice his sleeping mind, in their place another form took shape. Shorter than the woman, and more powerfully built, the man smirked at him.

"Beat you again, Tenchi." Wyldman said.

Ranma-X (A Ranma/X-Men fusion alternaverse)

Waiver: I do not own the X-Men characters, the Ranma 1/2 characters, or the Tenchi Muyo characters. I'm just a big fan. Don't sue me, that would be pointless, and it would cost you a big fan ;)

Tenchi awoke with a violent start at the sound of his name. Heart pounding, he attempted to enforce a semblance of order upon his chaotic mind. His last memory was of accepting a sparring challenge from one of the recruiters from that weird school, the same man that had taken the place of the woman in his dream.

Wyldman? Was that his name? He remembered losing his temper as his opponent mocked him, and lashing out with bokken. What happened to me? A moment passed, and Tenchi realized that he was no longer at his grandfather's shrine. He was in a hospital room of some kind.

In a small chair beside Tenchi's bed, sat a man wearing a gray Kempo-gi. "It's all right Tenchi," Dr.Tofu said, "you're among friends here."

Tenchi started to respond, when he noticed the crest on the right breast of the man's gi. It was a large X inside a circle, just like Wyldman's. "Where am I? Are you with that school?"

"You've answered your own question actually. You are at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters." Dr.Tofu smiled reassurance at Tenchi before continuing. "For now you can just call me Mentor."

"How did I get here?" Tenchi couldn't recall if the other two had mentioned where the school was, but he was certain there was nothing like that close to the shrine. He knew his memory was a little fuzzy, but he was reasonably certain he hadn't agreed to come to the school.

"You were sparring with Wyldman, and you fainted." Dr.Tofu replied, and took his glasses off to clean them on Tenchi's blanket. "Do you remember why?"

"Was it because of the fight?" While Tenchi still couldn't bring to mind exactly what had happened, he could feel the fog beginning to lift. The closer he came to remembering, the more uneasy he became. "Did something happen?"

Dr.Tofu replaced his glasses, and regarded his young patient calmly. You did what you had to Ranma, but I doubt Tenchi will appreciate it when his memory returns. "Nevermind that for now, how do you feel?"

Tenchi considered his answer for a moment before responding with surprise. "I feel fine, why am I in your hospital?"

"You're here because I wished to speak with you, Tenchi. Also because my students were worried about you when you fainted."

"Am I going to be all right?" Tenchi asked nervously, sensing from the elder man's attitude that there was something more to the whole situation.

"You'll be fine, though I imagine you're going to have a couple of bruises from the actual fight. You're lucky though, most people wouldn't have come out nearly so well against Wyldman. How much do you remember about the fight?"

"Wyldman wanted to spar, but I wasn't really interested. I'm not a martial artist like he is." There was something about the man calling himself Mentor that Tenchi trusted, and it allowed him to relax and concentrate. "Your other student, she knew what would happen. She tricked me didn't she?"

Dr. Tofu nodded in reply. "If you decide to accept my invitation to study here, you'll get used to Shifter. She's a remarkable young woman." Regarding Tenchi seriously, Dr.Tofu contemplated how to proceed. His memory block will wear out soon, I'd better get on with it . "What do you know about mutants, Tenchi?"

"Mutants?" He knew quite well what mutants were, they were on the news all the time. In the 10 years since the Japanese government had declared them terrorists, the other Asian nations had followed suit. It was commonly accepted that mutants were a threat to normal human beings, they were animals to be hunted, captured, and safely collared for the good of everyone.

It occurred to Tenchi that the man might be part of some government agency. That would explain why his friends wore crests and uniforms. It would explain the fake names too. "What do you want with me?" Tenchi asked nervously, "I don't know any mutants."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that actually. There are more of us around than you might think. Most don't even know it themselves." Dr.Tofu said, emphasizing his own inclusion in that category. Tenchi backed away from the newly revealed mutant, to the extent that the positioning of the bed would allow.

"Calm yourself Tenchi," Mentor said, smiling slightly. "We're not holding you for ransom or anything like that. I sent Shifter and Wyldman to issue you an invitation to visit us here. I thought it might be best if you were among your own kind for now, it's hard when your power first begins to manifest itself."

Power. Tenchi's memory returned with a flash of clarity. The energy weapon he'd attacked Wyldman with! He could remember the power surging through himself, gathering in the palm of his hand, and then blazing out as a sword of pure blue energy. "My power?"

"Don't go fainting on us again, Tenchi. We brought you here to help you, not to spend hours watching you sleep." Nabiki said, coming in the doorway with Ranma following.

"Why do we need him anyway? He's good enough with a stick I guess, but so was Kuno, and at least he waited until after you kicked him to pass out."

Nabiki grinned at her comrade, and shifted forms. Changing in an instant from an attractive young woman, to a handsome young man in a Kendo uniform. "Silence peasant! Who are you to mock the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High?"

Tenchi stared wide-eyed at Nabiki, shocked beyond words at her transformation.

"Relax Tenchi," the older man said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That's just Shifter's power, she can change her shape. I told them to come in after we'd started our little talk."

Nabiki shifted back to her regular form, or what Tenchi assumed was her regular form since it was how she had looked when they met. "What makes you think I'm one of you? I don't have any powers!"

"You're one of us Tenchi, you saw it yourself when we fought. Normal humans don't make energy weapons out of nothing." Ranma said, smiling at his fellow mutant.

Tenchi was genuinely terrified, he wasn't certain what had happened during that fight. He could remember that sword, but there was too much going on for the information to assimilate completely. "You did that! I'm not a freak like you!"

If Tenchi hadn't already been frightened, the look on Ranma's eyes would have made him so. His smile vanished completely, replaced with a look of ice. Hard eyes, cold, and utterly unyielding. Worse yet were his eyes, no longer their usual light bluish color, they were golden and slit like a cat's eyes, but glowing.

Tenchi attempted one of the warding gestures his grandfather had taught him to repel evil, gasping before he could complete it as Wyldman suddenly grabbed him by the collar with one hand. Tenchi could not imagine how he'd crossed the room so quickly to reach him. Lifting him easily, Wyldman slammed Tenchi against the wall. "I'm going to let that pass this time, Tenchi. You're new to all this, but if I ever hear you say something like that again, I'll show you what a freak can do."

Tenchi felt himself shiver at the icy monotone of his voice. He wished at that moment to take back his words, to do anything that would turn aside those eyes. He remained as still as he could within Wyldman's grasp, hoping against hope that the mutant would be satisfied. He was relieved when Wyldman tossed him back onto the hospital like bed, and stalked out the door without looking back.

"You might want to watch what you say around Wyldman, Tenchi." Nabiki offered, still standing in the doorway, on her way out as well. "He's pretty touchy when it comes to some things."

Ranma stood in the middle of the Danger Room, the traps and automated weaponry temporarily disabled as he closed his eyes, and tried to focus his mind. Concentrating within himself, he could feel the stirrings of his feral side, that aspect of his mutant power that had given him his code name. Sensing the restlessness and anger within that part of his soul that housed his more dark and violent yearnings, Ranma set about suppressing them. Drawing on another well of power, and thanking whichever Kami had selected his powers for the ability to cancel them out.

"That was stupid," he muttered to himself. Tenchi's outburst was common when mutants first discovered their powers. Denial being a popular way of coping with the realization that you don't quite fit into the world the way you always thought. Some were never able to come to grips with it.

Taking a deep breath, and then exhaling it slowly, Ranma adopted a combat stance. "Rommie, I'm ready to begin. Turn it up to level 5 today, I need a good fight." Ranma said, calling out to the woman in the control booth.

"All right, initiating level 5 training simulation. Good luck, Ranma."

Ranma's little outburst had frightened Tenchi a great deal, Dr.Tofu had to discreetly press a pressure point on his leg to prevent him from running from the school as soon as he had a clear path. Dr.Tofu explained to Tenchi that he must have hurt it when he fell earlier, and it should heal quickly. Without Ranma in the room to scare him though, the youth was quite a bit more reasonable.

"If you're not terrorists, why is the government after you?"

"Because we're different," Dr.Tofu explained, "and some of us have powers that can be strange, or frightening if you don't understand them. Like Shifter, you've only seen the most casual use of her power, she's not limited to impersonating friends from high school. She can wear any body she can imagine. That tends to make her a little threatening until you get to know her." And a whole lot more frightening when you DO know her.

Tenchi considered the potential of such a gift, and shuddered internally. "She could look like anyone, couldn't she?"

"You're still underestimating her, she could take the place of any living creature. She could be Emperor of Japan in a day if she wished to, or the Prime Minister." Dr.Tofu allowed Tenchi a moment to digest the idea of a mutant in control of Japan before continuing. "If that young woman was a terrorist, your country would already be conquered, even if they didn't know it."

"What about the other one?" Tenchi asked, not quite able to bring himself to call Wyldman by his name.

"Wyldman? His abilities are a little harder to explain." Dr.Tofu hedged, attempting to judge how much detail he would have to give Tenchi to satisfy him. "Wyldman never uses his powers."

"I saw him!" Tenchi said, objecting to the obvious lie. "His eyes glow, he moves faster than any human can, and he picked me up with one hand!"

"As frightening as it may seem Tenchi, only the eyes had anything to do with mutant abilities. Before Wyldman's powers manifested themselves, he was the heir to several powerful schools of martial arts. He actually got weaker when his powers kicked in, though the experience and skill he has accumulated since that time have compensated by now. He was holding back a great deal when you fought him."

Tenchi considered the possibility that the young mutant had been fighting him with only part of his strength. He'd already known that Wyldman had defeated him rather easily, but it hadn't occurred to him that he had been holding back even at that. Remembering the speed and power he'd used when he grabbed him just minutes ago, Tenchi shuddered at the implications of the mutant's true power.

"So what do his mutant powers do?"

"Nothing really," Dr.Tofu said, "glowing eyes are intimidating, but they don't see any better than regular ones. His power is mostly of concern only to other mutants."

Shifting uncomfortably, Tenchi decided not to pursue that any further, as doing so would be tantamount to admitting he was a mutant himself. "What about you?"

"I can see and feel things that normal humans can't." Dr. Tofu said, his reluctance to reveal too much fading as he sensed a shift in Tenchi's attitude. There still may be a chance to have him join us.

"What kinds of things?"

"Well, I can see the lines of spirit and force in the world around us. With the my own martial arts training, and my experience in North America as one of the X-Men, I have trained myself to use that power to tell me things about people."

"You can see chi?" Tenchi asked in shock.

"Among other things," Dr.Tofu replied, deciding in that moment that perhaps being open would serve better to calm the boy. "I can see many things, and feel their influence. I can see patterns in chi, magic, and the chaos that underlies everything. Those patterns occasionally manifest themselves as sudden insights. That's how we found out about you."

"What do you know about me?" Tenchi asked, trying to mentally recover from the image of Mentor as omniscient. Unconsciously he'd already accepted that he was a mutant, despite any desire he had to be otherwise. "What do you see about me?"

Smiling reassurance at the younger man, Dr.Tofu allowed his eyes to become unfocused, and he peered through the illusions of reality to see the true patterns of chi, magic, and chaos at the root of all. He congratulated himself as he saw the power and integrity of Tenchi's spirit in that world and the waves of blue energy that radiated out from the young man's body. His mutant power. "I can see you have a strength of spirit to match even Wyldman's."

"That's all?"

"You're powerful, Tenchi. I can see that strength in the part of you that is your mother, you are not the first mutant in your family." Dr.Tofu's voice became quieter as he concentrated on seeing more, focusing on the swirls of energy within the waves of mutant power to determine as much as he could about the young mutant. With sudden clarity, he knew the nature of Tenchi's power, and withdrew himself from the ether in shock. "You're of the House of Jurai!" he told Tenchi breathlessly.

"Jurai?" Tenchi asked in confusion, "What's that?"

Ignoring the question, Dr.Tofu touched a panel of buttons beside the bed, activating the intercom. "Wyldman, Shifter, grab Rommie and report to the briefing room immediately. We've got a problem."

The application of a single pressure point attack before Tenchi could react allowed Dr.Tofu to render him unconscious. He could have chosen to erase his memory again as he had when Tenchi had first arrived, but the process wasn't permanent, so would not help to solve the problem he suddenly had on his hands.

Upon entering the briefing room Dr.Tofu looked around the circular table at the members of his team. Ranma and Nabiki sat next to each other, looking at him expectantly, waiting for some explanation for his summons. They were already in uniform, Wyldman and Shifter ready to face whatever emergency Mentor had discovered. Rommie stood beside the door with her hands clasped behind her back. She wasn't wearing an

X-Men uniform, but she looked like she was standing on a parade ground waiting to be inspected.

Dr.Tofu cleared his throat in embarrassment before speaking. "I'm sorry if I've alarmed any of you with my call. I have taken care of the problem for now, but I called you together to come up with a more permanent solution."

"What exactly is the situation, Mentor?" Rommie asked, calling Dr.Tofu by his codename.

"Tenchi is not what I believed him to be," Dr.Tofu said, turning his attention to Ranma expectantly before continuing. "He's of the House of Jurai."

Ranma was on his feet in an instant, standing so quickly that he knocked his chair over. "Rommie, prep the ship. I'm getting the hell out of here."

"Calm down Ranma-kun," Nabiki said, placing a restraining hand on his arm. "You don't need to be afraid of Tenchi."

"Afraid of Tenchi? " A visibly shaken, and slightly Ranma glared at Nabiki until she released his arm. "You were not here last time we ran into them. You bet I'm afraid of him!" Tenchi's Juraiian, oh God...she'll come back...

"We can leave when you are ready, Ranma." Rommie said, "but I must remind you that I do not have any weapons capable of fighting Ryo-Oh".

Nabiki wasn't quite certain how to handle her irate comrade. There were very few things Ranma feared she'd never seen him react this badly to anything except a cat, or Akane's cooking. In the year since Nabiki had joined the X-Men, she had discovered that Ranma and Dr.Tofu had already had a few adventures. They had never mentioned Juraiians before though.

"Right," Ranma said, ignoring the others as he stared at the ceiling while trying to think of an escape route. "Ranko! She won't know Ranko."

Before Ranma could dash from the room in search of cold water, Dr.Tofu grabbed him by the arm. "There is no rush, Ranma. Tenchi doesn't know about Jurai, or about the Princess. He won't draw her here."

"I ain't taking that chance. I'm going to change, then I'm dropping him right back where we found him. He don't know how to get back here, he can't bring her if I get rid of him first."

"That may be for the best," Dr.Tofu agreed. "At the very least though I would like to speak to his father. I want to know what a Lord of Jurai is doing on Earth."

"You bring him back then, Then I can stay far away from that bunch as I can."

The flight to Tenchi's home in Japan was accelerated this time, recognizing Ranma's urgent need to be rid of Tenchi, Dr.Tofu had authorized their use of the X-Jet. Dr.Tofu had convinced him it wasn't necessary to activate his Jusenkyo curse just yet, but he was ready with a bottle of water if he needed to. Ranma, still looked like he wanted to get out and push to make things go faster though.

"Come on Rommie!" Ranma urged, leaning over her shoulder and pointing

at one of the gauges on the control panel. "You're not even in the red yet."

"That's the fuel gauge, Ranma." Rommie said. "Mentor really needs to send you for more time in the flight simulator."

In the rear compartment, Nabiki and Dr.Tofu discussed how they were going to handle Tenchi's family when they reached the shrine.

"I need you to keep an eye Ranma for me when we arrive," Dr.Tofu said, "he's not handling this very well."

"What is a Juraiian?" Nabiki asked, watching Dr.Tofu intently. "Ranma isn't exactly a coward, but he's as close to freaking out at the moment as I've ever seen him."

"The Juraiians are an alien race. They are powerful, virtually immortal, and they rule over the vast majority of the known universe."

"How do you guys know them?"

"They came to earth four years ago, about 6 months before you joined us here. Ranma was engaged in a rather vicious fight against a mutant that called himself Titus. One of the worst fights I've ever seen actually, he was incredibly agile, and he possessed a great deal of strength."

"Titus? I haven't seen him in our files. What happened to him?" Nabiki asked.

"You can check the section on dead mutants when we get home."

"Oh."

"Ranma was beginning to lose control of his powers in the heat of the fight. I wasn't there for his battle with Saffron, but from his descriptions I'd say he was at about that stage again."

Nabiki stared at Dr.Tofu wide eyed, remembering her sister's accounts of that battle. The

godlike power Saffron had used against Ranma, angel wings, balls of fire like small suns, and virtually unlimited resources of power. The king of Phoenix Mountain had almost killed Ranma, Akane, and their friends during their battle. That is, until Ranma went berserk. Akane refused to say anything about the incident, except that Ranma was a monster, and Saffron was dead.

"He didn't get a chance to attack though," Dr.Tofu said, closing his eyes and replaying the events in his mind. "A blast of light suddenly came down from the sky and struck Titus. I was wounded, and laying several feet away from their battle at the time, but I could feel the heat of that blast. Titus was utterly destroyed. I think the only reason Ranma survived his own proximity was because of his state at that time."

"The Juraiians?"

Dr.Tofu nodded. "They were looking for someone, they happened to be passing Earth when they detected Ranma. His power level is virtually off the charts when he's in that state. They thought he was the person they were looking for, and they were trying to protect him."

"I didn't need her bloody help!" Ranma said, glaring daggers at Dr.Tofu from the cabin entrance. "She killed him. She actually expected me to be thankful for her interference."

Nabiki jumped slightly when Ranma spoke, and immediately noted his right hand clenched in a white knuckled fist. "Who is this woman you keep referring to, Ranma?"

"We've arrived." Ranma said, ignoring Nabiki's question. "Let's ditch the royal pain, and get out of here."


End file.
